Ensuring all Kentucky children are well prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond is the focus of a new report from the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence that recommends priorities for policy and program developments related to early childhood education.
Progress and Next Steps for Early Childhood in Kentucky: Birth Through Third Grade is the work of the committee’s Early Childhood Education Study Group.
The report emphasizes the need for the alignment, from birth through third grade, of programs designed to prepare children for each new step in their education. It also points out the need for collaboration among public and private programs at the community level as a way to ensure the most effective use of limited resources.
“Kentucky has built a strong foundation for early childhood since 2000 and we’ve had the support of each one of Kentucky’s governors along the way. Today there is much greater awareness of the importance of early brain development on later learning and workforce participation,” said Brigitte Blom Ramsey, executive director.
“It’s time to deepen our commitment to Kentucky’s youngest children with a heightened focus on five key areas: engaging families as a child’s first and most influential teacher; ensuring good health and early social-emotional development of young children; increasing our investment in quality child care and preschool that allows all children to start kindergarten strong; encouraging community collaboration between programs so public dollars are used most effectively; and finally, strengthening the transition between kindergarten and early elementary so increased kindergarten readiness results in higher 3rd grade reading and math proficiency.”
Several noteworthy areas of progress were reflected in the report, which builds on a 2007 Prichard Committee report, Strong Start Kentucky: Investing in Quality Early Care & Education to Ensure Future Success, including a new call to action for Kentucky to focus on early education.
Since the publication of the earlier report, preschool funding has been increased and the state has received federal funding to support infrastructure development; provider enrollment in the STARS child care quality rating system has grown; the state has adopted a common definition of kindergarten readiness and implemented a universal screener; and state agencies are linking data systems.
“But there is far more to do,” the report continued. “Too few low-income families receive income support for child care, and there is still too little access to high-quality care. In the fall of 2015, only 50 percent of incoming kindergarteners were deemed ready for kindergarten based on the state’s universal screener, and only 54.3 percent of third graders were proficient in reading and 47.6 percent in mathematics, based upon K-PREP scores. If this trend continues, our challenges will only grow.”
The report’s recommendations address five areas and include both policy initiatives and ways communities can support early childhood efforts. Encompassing the continuum of early childhood, the recommendations reflect an expanded focus to include children from birth through the end of third grade, when they should be proficient in math and reading.
The full report is available at: prichardcommittee.org or http://bit.ly/1W0oQf1